Disc News: Complete Dean Martin Roasts Collection In Sept.

This holiday season keep grandma out of the kitchen. Let Dean Martin do the roasting instead! People make a big deal about the Comedy Central’s yearly roasts, but Dean was cranking out dozens of them each year during the ’70s. And he had bigger stars to roast than James Franco. Now all 54 episodes are coming out in The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts: The Complete Collection. The Time-Life release is taking preorders now and is scheduled to ship on September 21. Here’s the press release on how you can enjoy Dean Martin, Foster Brooks, Nipsey Russell and all the other classic icons of the ’70s in on giant boxset.

THIS SUMMER, GET ROASTED WITH A SINGULAR COLLECTION OF
CELEBRITY ROASTS FEATURING SOME OF THE 20TH CENTURY’S
GREATEST PERFORMERS, ATHLETES, POLITICIANS AND PERSONALITIES

The 25-Disc Set Includes Over 40 Hours of Incomparable Comedy,
Along with Over 15 Hours of Bonus Features Highlighted by
Comedy Sketches from The Dean Martin Show, Exclusive Interviews,
Rare Home Movies, Eleven Featurettes and a Collector’s Book
with Archival Production Materials, and More

AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY ONLINE AT DEANROASTS.COM
PRE-ORDERS BEGIN AUGUST 7, 2013

FAIRFAX, VA – Long before Comedy Central began generating ratings and headlines with their over-the-top roasts, one entertainment icon was pioneering the format with “The Dean Martin Show.” In 1973, the 10-year-old NBC variety show retooled in its final season and introduced a new feature: the “Man of the Week Celebrity Roast.” Patterned after the roasts held at the New York City’s famous Friars Club, Dean Martin’s Roasts quickly became a favorite with television audiences and eventually evolved to become a network series, “The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts.” And beginning with a skewering of comedy legend Bob Hope on October 31, 1974, the program would go on to become a fixture on NBC for the next 11 years.

THE DEAN MARTIN CELEBRITY ROASTS: COMPLETE COLLECTION follows StarVista Entertainment/Time Life’s best-selling releases of “The Dean Martin Variety Show,” and marks the first time that most of these classics from the Golden Age of TV will be released on DVD in a single collection. Featuring all 54 roasts from both “The Dean Martin Show” and “The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts,” the program’s notable roastees included many of the 20th century’s most accomplished performers and athletes, politicians and personalities (complete list below), including: Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, Johnny Carson, Sammy Davis Jr., Jack Benny, Lucille Ball, Jackie Gleason, George Burns, Don Rickles, Kirk Douglas, Danny Thomas, Gabe Kaplan, Hank Aaron, Wilt Chamberlin, Joe Namath, Muhammad Ali, Ronald Reagan and Dean Martin himself. Among the hilarious highlights you’ll see is Rich Little recounting how he “taught” Jimmy Stewart how to do an imitation of Jimmy Stewart, Ruth Buzzi telling the story of her great battle with Muhammad Ali, and Tim Conway on whether or not Don Rickles was ever hit or jailed due to his material.

Legends of the Roasts
The Art of the Roast
Ladies of the Dais
Roast in Hell: Politicians Under Fire
Sports Stars: Hit ‘Em Where It Hurts
The History of the Roast
The King of Cool: Always in Fashion
Politically Incorrect
Behind-the-Scenes
Primetime Ribbing: Roasting Small-Screen Stars
Beauty & The Beast: Ruth Buzzi vs. Muhammad Ali

Offered by StarVista Entertainment/Time Life exclusively online this summer, the set will be available for pre-order beginning August 7th at DeanRoasts.com, rolling out nationally to retail in the fall.

CELEBRITY ROAST FUN FACTS:

• Zsa Zsa tried to keep all the dresses she wore on the roasts, but wardrobe wouldn’t let her.
• Martin roasted two sets of celebrities together, Jack Klugman and Tony Randall, and Dan Rowan and Dick Martin
• Ronald Reagan tried out impressions on Rich Little.
• Michael Landon, Redd Foxx, Joe Namath, and Jack Klugman were the only celebrities roasted twice; Landon’s second time in 1984, being the final roast
• For Dean Martin’s roast, Don Rickles was host, and assumed the role of Roastmaster
• Comedian Nipsey Russell, impressionist Rich Little and talented character actor and comedian Ruth Buzzi appeared the most often on the Celebrity Roasts; Russell appeared 26 times, Little 24 times, and Buzzi 20 times

About The Author

Joe Corey

Joe Corey is the author of "The Seven Secrets of Great Walmart People Greeters." This is the last how to get a job book you'll ever need. He was Associate Producer of the documentary "Moving Midway." He's worked as local crew on several reality shows including Candid Camera, American's Most Wanted, Extreme Makeover Home Edition and ESPN's Gaters. He's been featured on The Today Show and CBS's 48 Hours. Dom DeLuise once said, "Joe, you look like an axe murderer." He was in charge of research and programming at the Moving Image Archive.